Video: Deconstructing the psychology of rewards in game design

Have you ever heard someone say a game gave them a "shot of dopamine"? What does that kind of language mean, exactly?

At GDC 2017, Epic Games' Ben Lewis-Evans delivered a talk aimed at dispelling the "neuromyths" around dopamine that also offered devs a deep dive into the psychology behind reward systems in game design.

It was a valuable talk because Lewis-Evans (an experienced human factors psychologist and user experience researcher) dug into basic reward principles, cognitive biases that impact reward perception, and the importance of progression, control, social interaction, and expectation in game design.

He also touched on the vital role of feedback and UX when designing effective rewards, something devs of all stripes may find useful and informative.

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